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Thursday, December 27, 2012

Love day, the highlight of spring, was here! Lovers young and old came together to celebrate the holiday, whether it was an intimate date, a day out at the spring festival, or an evening alone in the bedroom. Greg had recently been getting a lot of attention from various female admirers, so Eliza practically dragged him out the door to the spring festival in an attempt to rekindle their romance.

They spent some time playing the various games scattered around the park, before settling in for some romantic dancing, showing off for the entire town to see. Eliza had set her claim on Greg, and she wanted every woman out there to know it!

While his parents were busy at the festival, Lane decided to throw a birthday party for himself. After all, it wasn't like either of them had time to plan it, with the twins and all. He invited only one other person, his best friend Locke. Despite the small size of the party, Lane thought that they'd find a way to have fun - they always did. He was surprised by Locke's father Christopher accompanying him, and bringing cobbler!

After cake and some conversation, Locke and Christopher said goodbye and returned home, leaving Lane to take care of some of the new responsibilities that came with attending high school. His parents had insisted that he pick at least one extracurricular activity, despite the fact that he really just wanted to spend time reading or working on his own studies. After much agonizing over the limited offerings, he decided to join the newspaper club. Maybe they'd let him write an investigation story.

However, nothing, not even the feelings of affection he'd begun to have towards his best friend, could dissuade Lane from his personal studies. He'd read about a potion that could simulate the curse of lycanthropy in otherwise normal humans, and he made it his mission to learn how to brew it. He'd saved his allowance through most of childhood to purchase the necessary books and equipment, secreted away in his room, and spent hours at a time poring over them.

Of course, tonight was the full moon, and that meant that it was time to make his trip to the graveyard. Luckily, sneaking out wasn't a problem, since his parents had retired to their bedroom soon after returning from the spring festival. He made sure to leave the light in his bedroom on, so they'd just think he was studying if they ever came out - which he thought they wouldn't, given the way Eliza had been looking at Greg - and slipped out of the house, catching a taxi to the graveyard. When he got there, he hadn't taken two steps past the gates before being ambushed by an annoyingly familiar old man.

Gobias: "What are you doing here, boy? I told you, the full moon's dangerous. They don't teach respect for your elders like they used to, clearly."
Lane: "What am I doing here? What are you doing here? Are you stalking me?"
Gobias: "No. I'm here on another matter."
Lane: "Oh? What matter's that, then?"
Lane, of course, had already noticed the somewhat nervous and twitchy demeanor of the man. He was either hiding something, nervous about something, or both.
Gobias: "It's none of your business. You need to go back home where it's safe."

Lane had had about enough of this man and his ridiculous attempts to protect him. Did he think that Lane was a stupid little kid who didn't know anything?
Lane: "Look, I know about werewolves and stuff. I also know that you know, and that you were lying about there being something in the bushes that night. I saw the glowing eyes, and I know what they mean."
Gobias: "Then you also know how dangerous they can be. They're hardly more than animals."
Lane: "That's not true, I read all about them. They only get that way if they give in entirely to their animal instincts. If a werewolf like that was living around Sunset Valley, people would notice. There'd be deaths, human ones. But there's not, and I know because I read the paper every morning at breakfast. So that werewolf couldn't have been out hunting, therefore it was spying on me, and I bet you know why. So just tell me already."

Lane's outburst stunned Gobias for a moment. The old man stood there, regarding the younger boy with an expression that was impossible to read. After a moment, he nodded.
Gobias: "I'll tell you one thing, and one thing only. Maybe it will satisfy you before you or someone you love gets hurt."
Lane: "Anything you can tell me would probably be less dangerous than me stumbling around and discovering it on my own, you know."
Gobias: "Yes. That's the only reason why I'm telling you. You do know the circumstances of your birth, right?"
Lane: "Sure. I wasn't born in the hospital or at home, my mom went into labor with me when she was out on a walk. I was born in the front yard, and she'd barely managed to make it that far. She always brings it up when she's upset at me for something."
Gobias: "That's not the whole story. I doubt your parents even understand the significance of your birth. You were born outdoors, on the night of a full moon. You are what's known among certain individuals as Moontouched. You can feel it calling to you, I know."
Lane slowly nodded. Things were making a bit more sense now.
Lane: "So that's why I'm always so restless on nights when the moon is full."
Gobias: "Precisely. That's also why certain people have taken an interest in you. Finish your business here quickly, and then return home. Guard yourself, Lane Woods."
Lane nodded, slightly alarmed by Gobias's swift turn into sharp seriousness. He backed away from the old man, and turned towards the reason he'd come here.

The old mausoleum dominated the graveyard. Lane didn't know what you had to do to have your remains placed down there, but there weren't records of any having been in nearly a century. The notes as to why were equally cryptic, mostly due to the fact that they were pictographs rather than words. The one that had prompted his investigation was a simple circle. He couldn't shake the thought that it might represent the full moon from his mind. Could werewolves be down there? He waited until Gobias turned his back, and then darted through the foreboding entrance of the mausoleum.

It was dark inside and Lane was glad that he'd remembered to bring a flashlight. He crept through the narrow hallways, shining his light on the plaques adorning the walls. There seemed to be no ordering to the remains, with years, family names and symbols alike being mixed together. As he descended further into the catacombs, the chill became worse, and he begun to wish that he'd worn his winter coat. Suddenly, a savage growl sounded from around a bend in the hallway. He held his breath and crept forward, shining the light ahead of himself to illuminate his path as he turned the corner. He only got a glimpse of the ghost wolf as it lept at him, closing its incoporeal jaws on his flashlight, before a sharp pain in his wrist caused him to drop his flashlight, the light winking out as it hit the stone floor. He bent to retrieve it, but more growls sounded around him in the darkness, so he chose to run instead.

Running was hard when you couldn't see where you were going. After a while, with the growls left far behind, he gave up. Stumbling and feeling his way along, he lost all sense of how long he'd been in the darkness. Only the occasional staircase up revealed that he was still following the correct path. Eventually, his fingertips found the metal doors that were the entrance to the crypt, and he pushed them open, emerging into the moonlight. He took the opportunity to examine his wrist. While it still prickled with pins and needles the whole way around, there were no visible marks, so he hoped he would be alright. He stepped forward, then froze, ducking behind a bush. Gobias was still there, and he wasn't alone.

He spoke quietly with a man, a man whose form was familiar to Lane from all the books he'd read. The broad shoulders, claw-like fingers, wide stance, and characteristic profile all pointed to one thing - werewolf. That, and it was impossible to miss the eyes, glowing in the dark. Why was Gobias secretly meeting a werewolf in the graveyard? More importantly, why didn't the werewolf tell Gobias that Lane was here? Even if he hadn't seen him, the sense of smell and hearing would have made it obvious that Lane was behind that bush. Stepping backwards, Lane retreated towards the back entrance to the cemetery, reluctant to make any noise that would betray his presence to Gobias. At least until he figured out whose side the old man was on.

~ * ~

For the record, this chapter is totally unrelated to the Doctor Who episode of the same name, so sorry for the disappointment if you were expecting a TARDIS or an alien invasion. And sorry for the giant wall o' dialogue that I assaulted you all with in the middle there. Also sorry for the lack of pictures illustrating mentioned events, I got very sloppy with the picture-taking this chapter. I'm also well aware that the mysterious man isn't a werewolf in that picture, despite it being the full moon. For some reason the npc bugged up and wouldn't transform that night. Sorry. There, now I've gotten all my apologies out of the way.

Like I said in the comments of the previous chapter, Lane's not the heir, so I'm not sure why his plot is the main driving force of this generation. His sisters weren't even in this chapter at all! You can picture them behind the dollhouse in the picture of Lane and Locke eating cake, because that's where they were for pretty much the entire day. The graveyard scene in this chapter was pretty much the game itself shoving plot in my face. Gobias just randomly showed up when Lane did, and then Lane said goodbye to him and went off to do his own thing(I was going to take the plot in a direction involving the mausoleum, but I liked the AI's idea better), and then an hour later what do I see but Gobias talking to a mysterious figure!

Monday, December 24, 2012

As winter lifted, the Woods family prepared to move houses. They packed up their furniture, marveling at how empty the house looked without it, and checked the listings for a place that fit their budget.

Luckily, they found something. They waited until the weekend, so that they wouldn't have to worry about Lane missing school, and then set off across town to their new house.

It was a two-story traditional-style home, located near the shore. The location and view drove up the price, of course, but with summer just around the corner the idea of walking across the street for a swim was just too tempting. There was the usual living quarters - kitchen, dining room, living room and foyer - as well as a backyard and garage on the ground level. On the second floor, there were three bedrooms and a bathroom. The kitchen was small, and the single bathroom was cause for some concern, but the family would just have to be considerate of each other.

Lane was a particular fan of the swingset that came with the backyard.

Even after the move, Eliza's midlife crisis wasn't over yet. She went out and bought a car big enough to fit the family, despite the fact that they had turned the garage into a laundry room. Luckily there was enough room to park a vehicle outside as well.

At school, Lane was assigned a buddy to befriend. His name was Locke French-Steele, Christopher's son. Lane and Locke got along fantastically, spending many afternoons together at the library.

Of course, not all the time Lane spent at the library was with Locke. He hadn't forgotten the events of the last full moon, and threw himself into his research. It turned out that Gobias was in fact a real person - Gobias Koffi - but that wasn't the part that astounded him.

Reading the old books, he found fantastical tales that he wouldn't have believed if he hadn't seen things with his own eyes. The amber eyes, the growl from the bushes, the full moon...if his research was to be believed, those were the signs of a werewolf. A man who was also part wolf, part wild. As he read the text, he instinctively knew that everything contained there was true. It just sounded so right, as if it resonated with a part of him deep down inside. A wild part. He had an idea, but he would have to wait to execute it until the next full moon. Because that was really what it came down to, in the end. The moon cycle, and the power that accompanied the full moon.

Back at home, the twins were growing up. They appeared nearly identical, so Eliza made sure to dress them carefully - yellow for Crystal, and blue for Faye. Crystal enjoyed looking at books with large, glossy pictures, clearly appreciating the art.

Faye, on the other hand, preferred to spend her time playing with the dollhouse. Books were boring!

As with Lane, the parents divided up the responsibilities of teaching Crystal and Faye to walk and talk. This time, Greg handled the walking while Eliza handled the talking. Potty training, of course, fell to whoever was free at the time.

Their hands were beyond full taking care of the twins. The matching high chairs that they'd purchased sat, unused, in the corner of the dining room. The kids didn't care if they ate on the floor, right? There just wasn't any time to deal with the fancy chairs.

There was hardly even time to sleep at night. Eliza took to catching catnaps in the living room whenever possible.

Lane wasn't old enough to help out much with his sisters, but he did what he could to keep the house clean. It weighed heavily in the back of his mind when he left the dishes unwashed, or the bathtub unscrubbed.

It would only be a few more years until the girls were old enough to mostly take care of themselves, Greg, Eliza and Lane told themselves. They just had to hold on until then.

~ * ~

Have I mentioned that I hate toddlers? The only thing I hate more than taking care of the toddlers is the bathroom situation. For some reason, I thought this house came with 1 1/2 bathrooms, but I was thinking of another one. Bit of a nasty surprise there. By the way, the house is the Secret American, downloaded off modthesims. It's a nice enough house, but there's some really weird routing issues when you have two parents trying to pick up two toddlers upstairs(for some reason, toddlers don't like being picked up on the second floor, despite there being plenty of room in three of the rooms there). I wouldn't play a household of more than 4~ sims in this house again.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Eliza's labor was much shorter and more comfortable than it had been with Lane. Soon enough, she was the proud parent of a beautiful little girl. But wait! It wasn't just one girl, it was twin girls.

They named the firstborn Crystal, and her sister Faye. Crystal didn't seem to mind the chill when she laid aside un-swaddled while her sister was born, though Eliza wrapped her up guiltily as soon as she was able. Then, she turned on Greg.

Eliza: "Twins."
Greg: "I know, aren't they beautiful? They could be a circus act when they're older!"
Eliza: "WHAT? My daughters aren't going to be in the circus!"
Greg: "I didn't mean they had to be, I just said they could be! It was just a thought, dear! Not serious!"
Eliza: "Ugh, you're so inappropriate sometimes, but whatever. That's beside the point. How did you not see this coming? We're nowhere near prepared for twins!"
Greg: "You DO know I'm just a scam psychic, right? I can't actually tell the future."
Eliza: "Argh!"

Eliza might not have appreciated Greg's career, but his superiors certainly did. They offered him a promotion, and Greg accepted, with one condition. His job title would have to be Pseudo Psychic, to avoid any further misunderstandings with the missus.

Luckily, things back home had smoothed over as the parents got into the swing of childcare. Greg made sure to help out as much as possible, especially on his days off, which was made easier by the fact that his boss had asked him to please stop wandering around the town sticking his hand on random people's faces. His logic and charisma skills were being stretched to their limits while he was at work, however, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up.

Lane didn't like either choice of after-school activity available to him. Ballet was for girls, and scouting was just lame. He preferred to fill his afternoons with his own choice of activity, usually involving frequent trips to the town library. It was during one of those trips that Lane got lost in a good book and accidentally stayed past moonrise. On the night of the full moon.

It was a rule in the Woods household that all family members must be at home - preferably, indoors - on the night of the full moon. Lane swore a word that his mother would have slapped right off his lips if she'd heard him say it, then hopped on his bike to pedal home. On the way back, however, he spotted something off by the diner. He set his bike down on the sidewalk and stepped towards it, rationalizing that he was in trouble anyway, and five more minutes wouldn't make a difference at all.

It looked just like the totem poles he'd seen in books, and appeared to
be carved of stone. He took a step closer to touch it to make sure, and
then froze. He'd heard something, off to his right, in the bushes. He was sure of it. A moment later, the noise came again. It was a sort of rustling sound, as if something was hiding, and Lane thought he could hear a low animal-like growling. The moon came out from behind a cloud, and glinted off amber eyes, watching Lane through the bushes.

The boy stood frozen, eyes locked on the creature - whatever it was - in the bushes. He didn't even notice when an old man in a striped shirt hurried over from the diner, not until the eyes blinked out.
Man: "Lane Woods! What are you doing here? On a full moon, of all nights."
Lane: "Behind you, in the bushes! There's something there!"
Man: "I don't see anything there."
Sure enough, the sounds had stopped, and the eyes hadn't made a reappearance.
Man: "You should be at home, Lane."
Lane: "Sorry, I was at the library and I lost track of time. Who are you, anyway? And how do you know my name?"
Man: "You can call me Gobias. As to how I know your name...well, that's a long story. One for another night. It's not safe for you here, not now. Now run along home, or do I have to take you there myself?"
Lane: "No thanks, I'll be going. Mom told me never to take rides from strangers."

Lane backed away, not taking his eyes off of Gobias - if that was his real name - until his bike was in motion. Gobias stared after the boy. Neither noticed the man-sized creature slink away from the bush on all fours.

Back home, neither parent noticed Lane sneak into the house, as they were engrossed in another argument. Eliza found herself in the grips of a midlife crisis, and was bemoaning the lack of space in the house.
Eliza: "There's no room to think here! I turn one way, I run into the washer. I turn the other way, I run into a crib. And you can't cross the room without tripping over chairs!"
Greg: "What do you expect me to do about it? Let the babies sleep out in the snow?"
Eliza: "Ugh, no! We need a bigger house!"

Greg knew better than to argue. If Eliza demanded a new house, then a new house she would get.

~ * ~

Sometimes I get really frustrated at having the story I'm writing be so far behind the game I'm playing, but other times it allows me to work some very creative elements in. I didn't realize that Gobias knew what was going on until about a week later in my game, when the next full moon hit. The story would be a lot less interesting if I was actually caught up in my writing. Or at least that's what I tell myself so I stop feeling guilty about being so far behind. Currently about a week and a half behind, for what it's worth.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Lane was soon toddling around the small house, silently observing everything that went on. After the full moon incident, Eliza kept the door tightly locked at all times, but there wasn't a repeat of the escape attempt.

Lane was able to talk, but refrained from the usual babble of most children his age. He usually spoke only to announce the results of his observations, encouraged by the logic concept books he'd taken to reading.

The results of their frequent "alone time" became apparent one day, as Eliza was delivering some insect specimens to the science center. The last time she'd felt this sick was when she was pregnant with Lane...could it be?

Sure enough, the test came back positive. Both Eliza and Greg wanted another boy, of course, because they'd already done it once - surely it would be easier the second time around! But they knew that the sex of the baby was up to luck, and they'd love it no matter whether it was a boy or a girl.

Greg received another promotion at work, to the position of Keen Observer of Human Behavior. Now, logic was becoming extremely important to his work, and he was glad that he'd always pursued chess as a hobby. Even with the practice he'd had in his spare time, he was starting to feel swamped at his job. He was falling behind on his private readings as well, barely making his quotas at the end of the month. It was only the compliments paid to his boss and his reputation around town that had gotten him this promotion, he knew.

He wasn't getting any younger. As he looked in the mirror, he could see wrinkles starting to form around his eyes and mouth. He'd had to cut his thinning hair, wearing a new, more mature style. Even though the new position had higher stress, he was also making more money, which was sorely needed with the baby on the way.

Snowflake Day was almost upon them. Eliza talked Greg into taking his day off and hanging some lights on the house, which looked very nice lit up at night.

Everybody had the holiday off work, so the entire family - even the very pregnant Eliza! - went to the winter festival together to celebrate. Leaving Greg to watch Lane, Eliza traded in some of the tickets she still had from previous festivals for a snow bear teddy, for the baby.

By this point, Greg had the brilliant idea to take advantage of the festival to catch up on his private readings. They went well, as he was able to theme them around the season and holiday, leading to satisfied customers. Of course, if Greg was giving private readings, then who was watching Lane?

Luckily, Lane hadn't wandered off. He sat happily, armpit-deep in the snow, playing with his wereteddy. The cloth doll was soaked, having been repeatedly buried, un-buried, hugged and then shoved under the snow yet again.

Eliza quickly collected her son and husband, heading home as the sun set.

Lane soon reached the age where he would have to start attending elementary school.

He was excited about being able to explore a new area, but less excited about having to move out of his crib to make room for the new baby.
Greg: "It's bedtime, Lane."
Lane: "But I'm not tired! It's hardly even 11:00!"
Greg: "You have your first day of school in the morning, you have to get your sleep."
Lane: "But what if there's monsters under the bed? I can't go to sleep, they might get me!"
Greg: "There's no such thing as monsters, Lane. Go to bed."
Lane: "But how do you know there's no such thing if they're hiding under the bed? Have you checked? HAVE YOU?"
Greg: "..."

With impressive timing, Eliza interrupted their bedtime argument by going into labor.

Greg: "OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD! Another kid? What did I do to deserve this?!?"

~*~

Yes, I'm evil, leaving it on a cliffhanger like that! I got a good laugh out of them just dumping Lane in snow that came up to his chest, and an even bigger laugh out of how it looked like he was trying to bury his wereteddy. I'm not sure what happened with the romance, but one night they kept rolling wishes to hug and kiss, so I just went ahead and had them try for baby. It's weird how sims get ideas like that into their heads. I've updated the legacy story page, Lane's traits are listed there for anybody who wants to know. Not that they're terribly spoilery at this point in the story, but still.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Winter had come to Sunset Valley. With Greg's new job came regular days off, and Eliza took full advantage of her husband being home to dump Lane on him and hurry off to get some much-needed leisure time around town. She loved her child, but what she suffered from the most was the lack of adult friends.

Apparently, nobody else in this town appreciated art, because Eliza felt as if she was all alone in the world when visiting the gallery. As the winter festival hadn't moved in yet, the park was equally deserted. Desperate for an adult to talk to, Eliza made her way to the salon, asking for somebody - anybody - to give her a makeover. Stylist Christopher French-Steel was happy to oblige.

Christopher: "Nice to meet you, Eliza. So I understand you want something that looks cute, maybe even a little bit sexy, but practical and easy to manage? I think I've got just the look, if you'll follow me right this way."

Meanwhile, back at the house, Greg took it upon himself to teach Lane how to speak. His intentions were sound, but it was likely that Eliza wouldn't have approved of the content of the lessons.

Greg: "Daddy goes to work as a psychic to get people's money. Can you say money?"
Lane: "Money!"
Pudding: *dreams about Greg buying cat food*

Back at the stylist's, Eliza's makeover was finished. Happy with the results, she paid and stepped out into the winter chill.

That was more like it! Emboldened by her new look, she attended a chess competition at the bookstore - not to play, only to watch, though she wasn't opposed to learning techniques that she could use to beat Greg in a match.

It was evening by the time she got out, but it had been a good day spent. She felt refreshed by the social experiences she'd had that day, and resolved to have Greg mind their kid more often in the future. Arriving home, however, she was met with quite a sight.

The house was a mess! She turned on Greg to scold him for his slobbish housekeeping skills, and as they bickered nobody was minding Lane, who, in accordance with his inquisitive nature, slipped right out the still-open front door.

The moon was full tonight, for the first time since the night of Lane's birth. He felt his skin prickle as he looked up at the large orb in the sky, his breath frosting out in front of him as he breathed.

Then, in the distance, he heard a long howl, unlike anything he had heard before. He immediately turned to face the direction the sound had come from, listening intently. After a few moments, it came again, closer this time, and he rolled over to his knees, beginning to crawl towards the mysterious - yet intriguing - sound. It was at this moment that Eliza looked out the window and, with a cry, ran after her son, all conflict with his father instantly forgotten.

She caught up with her child and snatched him up, hurrying back inside as she clutched him tightly to herself. What could possess a child, even one as inquisitive as Lane, to crawl off after that frightful howling?

~*~

Sorry for Eliza's crazy outfit-switching going on here. I think she went through everyday, outerwear and formal(I have no idea why, maybe she wanted to impress Christopher?) in the space of a few sim-hours.

He was a naturally inquisitive child, always poking around the house and getting into trouble. His favorite toy was his peg box; he would spend hours fitting the wooden blocks through their slots, always ensuring that they all made it back in before he abandoned the toy for something else. Of course, being a toddler wasn't all fun and games. Eliza worked with her son every morning to develop one of his important life skills - walking

As much as she didn't want him to get in to even more things around the
house, she knew that it would impact him negatively later on in life if
she didn't teach him properly now.

Greg, hard at work, soon received another promotion, this time to a Metaphysical Fabricator. Suddenly, the quality and quantity of his private readings around town became very important to his career. He took to wandering the town during the evening after he got off work, searching for any sims who might be a good target.

Greg: "I shall predict your future!"
Man: "Mrlmff?"
Greg: "I predict that you will miss dinner and be hungry all night if you don't get home soon!"
Of course, it was Greg himself who was missing dinner that night.

Lane: "Da-da?"
Eliza: "Daddy'll be home soon. He's probably off "palm reading" and lost track of time."

Heading into the later years of autumn, Eliza found herself busy taking care of the leaves that had fallen from the trees in the yard.

Getting those leaves raked up seemed to be a never-ending job, which only made her more irritated when Greg spent his spare time carving faces into pumpkins instead of helping her out with the chores.

Of course, she did have to admit that the end product looked pretty nice.

Greg's extra work around town soon led to another promotion, following quickly on the heels of the last. His employers felt that, while he had a certain sort of awkward charm to him, he was likely not blessed with actual mystic powers. So, they strongly advised him to chose a career path that placed more emphasis on telling people what they wanted to hear, rather than anything that was actually true. He went along with their plan, and accepted the promotion to Tarot Card Shark. From here on out, his charisma was important. Even if half of what came out of his mouth was entirely inappropriate, it was all about how he sold it to the customers. As a workaholic, he relished the challenge.

As the season of autumn drew to an end, Lane had finally managed to figure out how to work his potty, much to the relief of both Eliza and Greg.

He'd also taken a liking to the Dr Simseuss series of books, spending hours flipping through them and laughing at the silly pictures. He might not know how to read yet, or even what those words meant, but surely the basics of story structure were being impressed upon his young mind.

~*~

So, Lane's a toddler now. I'm not sure what's up with the hair, and I've actually downloaded a mod that'll stop the game from randomly assigning hair/eye color in the future. Genetics please. I'm not posting his traits yet, as I hope to demonstrate them through the story, but I do definitely have a plan for this little guy. I've got two more update's worth of pictures and story backlogged right now, due to exams(which just finished!), but I'm going to try to get those posted pretty quickly to catch up with what's going on in my game. Next chapter should be exciting!